Amy Gehrt: Casting your vote will make a difference

If you elect to stay home and squander your right to vote, you just might find that the day’s big loser is you. After all, how can you expect anything to change if you refuse to participate?

Amy Gehrt

Election Day is a week away, and candidates across the country are in the midst of a final push to persuade voters. More than 6.5 million Americans have already cast their ballots, but millions of votes are still up for grabs. According to a recent Associated Press/GfK poll, “One-third of likely voters either have not decided who they will vote for in the midterm or could change their minds.”

Unfortunately, that means the campaigning — already so nasty this year you can’t open your e-mail, newspaper or watch a TV show without being bombarded by attack ads — will inevitably get worse in the final days leading up to Nov. 2.

All of the rhetoric and spin can make it hard to suss out the truth, and many frustrated Americans are threatening not to vote.

While the anger and disillusionment are understandable, not voting seems like the easy way out. It’s a disservice to yourself, your fellow Americans and your country.

The outcome of the midterm elections is viewed as so pivotal that political parties at the national level are throwing considerable resources into races at the state level. Those elected as governors and state legislators will be involved in the redistricting process that happens once a decade following a census.

In theory, the House of Representatives’ 435 districts are supposed to be redrawn to reflect the population changes shown in the census so that each congressional seat represents an equal number of people. But the controlling party of the House often uses the data to its advantage.

Moving lines a little here or there may not sound like a big deal, but it can dramatically change the political power in a state and, subsequently, in the U.S. Congress.

Party politics are heavily in play in the national races as well. Both have been turning to party heavyweights to stump for candidates competing in close races, as Democrats fight to maintain their gains from 2008 and Republicans try to capitalize on public dissatisfaction and make significant inroads of their own.

Democrats are widely expected to lose at least some ground, but President Barack Obama’s approval ratings are on the rise and new polls indicate Dems may be closing the so-called “enthusiasm gap.” Moderate swing voters who are turned off by the tea party movement’s extremist views could also temper the GOP’s wins.

While we wait for the outcomes of the elections, what is clear is that this year every vote really will count.

Dedicate some time to educating yourself on the candidates and the issues, then pick the people you think are best suited for fixing the problems facing your state and the country as a whole. The candidates on your ballot may not meet all of your criteria or represent all of your values, but people will be put into office regardless — so isn’t it better to choose those with whom you share at least some common ground?

If you elect to stay home and squander your right to vote, you just might find that the day’s big loser is you. After all, how can you expect anything to change if you refuse to participate?

And please remember, if you don’t take part, you are effectively forfeiting your right to complain about the outcome.

City editor Amy Gehrt may be reached at agehrt@pekintimes.com. The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Pekin Daily Times.

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